In this article, the author examines Dewey's moral deliberation. Liu argues that Dewey's work will enrich both character education and Kohlberg's moral education. Liu focuses on character education and on Kohlberg's moral education because these are the two dominant approaches. Character education seeks to cultivate good character as the true aim of education. Kohlberg's moral education focuses on promoting the development of children's moral judgment. Character education has been criticized for didacticism and for its deemphasizing of reflection and moral judgment. In contrast, Kohlberg's moral education has been criticized for its inability to cultivate the content of morality and for ignoring moral sentiment. Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. A close look into these two approaches using Dewey's concept of moral deliberation is an effective way to bridge the divide. Liu concludes by stating his belief that character education and Kohlberg's moral development are valuable theories that enhance moral education in school. Character education focuses on teaching core values, while Kohlberg's moral development emphasizes moral cognition development through moral dilemma discussion. Those two approaches have their own merits and defects. Liu states that Dewey's concept of moral inquiry and moral deliberation could help those two approaches become more effective.

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